Young abuse victims have quiet haven for examinations

Lehigh County Child Advocacy Center aims to reduce trauma.

November 29, 2004|By Debbie Garlicki Of The Morning Call

Children who are victims of suspected sexual abuse or physical abuse that doesn't require immediate medical treatment no longer have to wait in crowded, noisy hospital emergency rooms or clinics when police and caseworkers are investigating allegations.

Those children now can be examined by a nurse practitioner under the supervision of a pediatrician in a quiet room on the first floor of an Allentown office building that houses the Child Advocacy Center of Lehigh County.

The center, which will be entering its fifth year in January, opened the medical examination room this summer to better address the needs of victims and families coping with disclosures of abuse and the needs of authorities investigating sensitive subjects.

The examination room at 740 Hamilton St. gives the child privacy in a comfortable setting without the chaos of an emergency room, said Barbara Stauffer, center executive director.

Having an on-site examination room reduces the child's trauma because the victim doesn't have to wait for hours in an emergency room to be seen by doctors or nurses who may not have specific training in the dynamics and signs of abuse, Stauffer said.

The trained nurse practitioner generally has more time than an emergency room doctor juggling several patients at once.

"It can take an hour or two hours to do this kind of examination on a child because you have to build trust," Stauffer said.

The exam room is not as frightening for children as an emergency room, said professionals who work at the center. "I have found that the kids are more comfortable here than in a hospital," said Lehigh County Detective Theresa Rentko, who is assigned to the center.

To put children at ease, the room is decorated with pictures on the walls, a hanging mobile above the examination table and stuffed toys.

Doctors and the nurse practitioner can treat minor ailments there. If a child requires treatment, the child is escorted or sent to an emergency room or to the family's primary care doctor.

The focus of the medical assessment is to collect and document forensic evidence and to assure the child and family that the child is all right, Stauffer said. The exam room has a locking refrigerator to preserve and secure evidence.

Like the center itself, the exam room was a collaborative effort of community and government.

Grants, a donation from St. Luke's Hospital, the Lehigh County office of Children and Youth Services and Lehigh Valley Physician Group helped to pay the nurse practitioner's salary. Lehigh Valley Hospital donated an examination table, Children and Youth Services bought equipment, and the law firm of Stevens & Johnson donated furniture.

With the exam room's opening, the center has enhanced its community role as a one-stop location for coordinating professional services when child abuse is suspected.

The center, with offices on the fourth floor of the Hamilton Street building, is one of 11 in the state and dozens in the country. It is a child-friendly hub where teams of professionals in various disciplines work together to interview child-abuse victims, share information on cases and link families with social services.

Lehigh County's center has 25 team members, among them detectives, prosecutors, child welfare caseworkers and a child interview specialist, who meet every other week to review cases.

The center has interview rooms and observation rooms where team members can watch interviews in progress via closed-circuit television.

Stauffer said the center plans to hire a family advocate to help victims' family members access services in the community.

Adding the exam room to the center assists in investigations and prosecutions, detectives said, because the nurse practitioner and supervisor, Dr. John VanBrakle, are accessible to law enforcement and caseworkers and can explain medical terminology, what injuries the child has and how they may have been caused.

While a child is being examined, tests for sexually transmitted diseases can be done and photographs taken, police can conduct interviews and share information with prosecuting attorneys, and caseworkers can arrange services for the family.

"We can have a bunch of different things going on in the same building at one time," said Detective Ralph Romano, who works at the center with detectives Wendy Brantley and Kevin Smith.

"It gets the investigation going off quicker from the start," Smith said.

He said the professionals can share information about past perpetrators and similar cases.

"All this gives you an insight into the minds of the perpetrators," Smith said.

Last year, Children and Youth Services received more than 900 reports of suspected child abuse. The center's team reviewed 426 of those cases, of which 207 involved allegations of sexual abuse and the rest physical abuse or neglect.

In October, the center received accreditation from the National Children's Alliance, which provides funding and support to centers.